Top 5 Most Difficult Restaurants to Advanced Dining Reservations at Disney World

Walt Disney World is home to dozens upon dozens of themed restaurants offering delicious menus, picturesque locations, and even your favorite characters! You can drop by a restaurant while at the parks or the resorts; but to make sure you are guaranteed a seat, you can make Advanced Dining Reservations by phone or online. However, reservations aren’t always easy to get when it comes to a few select restaurants. These dining spots feature some of the best theming and locations on property, as well as dishes and desserts! Find out what I think are the Top 5 Most Difficult Restaurants to Get Reservations for at WDW so you can plan ahead in advance!

5. Chef Mickey’s– Located in the lobby of the Contemporary Resort, this family-friendly restaurant features a spectacular buffet to suit all your tastes and cravings, as well as visits from Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Minnie, and Mickey! Because you really can’t go wrong at this restaurant, it’s very popular with guests and tables go quickly. Be sure to get a reservation as soon as you can to guarantee you and your family this fun dining experience.

4. ‘Ohana– ‘Ohana means family; and the ‘Ohana restaurant at the Polynesian resort, that’s exactly what you are! This restaurant offers two dining experiences, breakfast and dinner. At breakfast, you are treated to breakfast platters with a Hawaiian twist while Lilo and Stitch and a few other friends drop by to visit. Then, at dinner, you will feast on Polynesian style dishes, as well as yummy meat skewers right out of the fire, while the kids participate in some fun, tropical games! Late diners may even see Wishes being displayed over Cinderella Castle from across the lake at the Magic Kingdom!

3. Le Cellier – Epcot’s World Showcase is my personal go-to park for a great meal because there are so many restaurants to choose from and it’s all so good! Plus, the international experience is a lot of fun too! Out of all the fabulous World Showcase restaurants, my personal favorite is Le Cellier at the Canada pavilion. Tucked hidden away, and in what looks like an old wine cellar, there isn’t much seating. However, the food is some of the best I’ve had on Disney property, particularly the Filet Mignon with Mushroom Risotto! Also, you’ve gotta try their Pretzel Bread, as well as their Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. For years, Le Cellier has notoriously difficult to get reservations for, so be sure to snatch up a reservation as soon as you now you’re going to WDW!

2. Cinderella’s Royal Table– This restaurant has the BEST location in all of WDW as it can be found inside of Cinderella’s Castle with a view of Fantasyland! Yes, this restaurant lets you dine inside of a fairytale beginning with a visit from Cinderella and then visits from other royal princesses while you dine either at breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The setting, details, dishes, as well as a few special treats, make Cinderella’s Royal Table a VERY popular dining destination, especially for birthdays, engagements, and other special occasions. We recommend booking a reservation here as soon as absolutely possible!

1. Be Our Guest – The Magic Kingdom’s newest restaurant, Be Our Guest, is housed inside of the Beast’s enchanted castle from the classic Disney film, Beauty and the Beast! This restaurant features three unique dining rooms with their own unique experiences. My personal favorites are the West Wing, with the torn décor, lightning effects, and wilting rose, and the famous ballroom. The ballroom truly looks as if it came straight out of the film, complete with the massive gold chandeliers and the tall windows where you can watch snow fall outside! Now Be Our Guest is a Disney first in that it’s a quick service restaurant for lunch, but turns into a table service restaurant for dinner; and dinner reservations are next to impossible to get right now! My advice? Wait in line to eat here at lunch, or book a reservation the first day you can which would be 180 days out from your trip.

So just because these restaurants are popular and typically booked, that doesn’t mean you still can’t get in! While I can’t guarantee anything, I do have a few tips:

1. Keep Checking! Guests cancel reservations all the time, and if you keep checking, you may snatch that one open reservation.

2. Book Online! While you can book a reservation over the phone, I prefer to book online. Why? I can check all available times for the days I want without having to go through someone else. I can also check and book anytime I wish, giving me a greater chance of landing an opening.

3. Check a Few Hours Ahead! If you still haven’t grabbed that reservation when you arrive at WDW, don’t despair! Many guests tend to cancel their reservations when on vacation as things come up and change and so on. Therefore, I would suggest checking for an open reservation for the restaurant of your choice a few hours in advance of your desired mealtime. You never know what might be available!

4. Take Advantage of Bad Weather! Stormy weather is usually a bad thing at WDW, but not if you’re hungry! The parks tend to empty when the weather turns nasty, meaning many guests may not show up for their reservation. However, the opposite is true of resort restaurants. They tend to fill up even more as guests prefer to stay in on gray days.

Are any of these Top 5 Restaurants your favorites? Do you have any suggestions for how to get in?

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Savannah has been visiting Disney World since before she could walk and it is still her favorite vacation destination. Today, she is a history teacher and girls basketball coach in Illinois who spends her spare time writing about Disney on A Glass Slipper Vacation, a site she and her mom created to share their knowledge and passion for Disney.